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Xai Vessalius
|kanji= |romanji= |race= Human |birthday= |age= Unknown |gender= Male|height= |weight= |eyes=Unknown |hair= Blonde |unusual features=Facial scar |affiliation= Baskervilles |previous affiliation=Pandora |occupation= |previous occupation= |team= |partner= |base of operations=Sablier |status= Alive |relatives= Jack Vessalius (Ancestor) Rachel Cecile (Wife) Oscar Vessalius (Brother) Zai's Unnamed Stillborn Son Oz Vessalius ("Son") Ada Vessalius (Daughter) |alias= |current= Gryphon |previous= |manga debut= Retrace II: Tempest of Conviction |anime debut= Episode 2: Tempest of Conviction |japanese voice= Tooru Ookawa |english voice= |previous partner = }} Zai Vessalius was the heir apparent to the Vessalius Family, being the elder brother to Oscar Vessalius. However, Zai had allowed Oscar to take the title instead. Zai had complied with Jack Vessalius when Jack approached him in the time before the birth of his first child, allowing Jack to pose as his child after it was born in death's embrace. Zai had done so in pursuit of information, as well he had hoped to spare his wife the pain and suffering the death of her child would bring. Zai found this to be a mistake however, blaming Jack for the deaths of his son, Rachel Cecile, Duchess Vessalius and Oscar's child. In return, Zai became consumed with rage, bent on revenge, he aligned himself with the Baskervilles and began to dehumanize 'Oz Vessalius' in hopes of hurting the Chain who's soul resided in the body, Oz the B-Rabbit, as well as Jack himself in order to exact his revenge. At an unknown point prior to joining the Baskervilles, Zai had made a Legal Contract with the Black Winged Chain which guarded the Vessalius Door to the Abyss, Gryphon, as Oscar was not qualified to do so himself. Zai cast Oz into the Abyss at his Coming of Age Ceremony for his sinful existence. History Zai had married a woman named Rachel Cecile, and together they were expecting their first born child. As winter approached and Zai's first born was due for delivery in the very near future, Zai was approached by a young child with blonde hair and emerald-green eyes. This child identified himself to Zai as Jack Vessalius, claiming to have lived continuously throughout the past 100 years. Jack stated that it was nice to meet Zai, and not to be frightened, requesting that Zai listened to what he had to say. Zai did so, allowing the child before him to explain that within his body slept the soul of a Chain which had been in the process of destroying the world 100 years ago, B-Rabbit. Jack explained to Zai that his body had been rejected by the Abyss, and as a result it had been forced to rewind itself physically because Jack had come into contact with the power of The Nucleus of the Abyss. As a result of his body being rewound too many times, Jack's soul was destined to vanish completely. Jack then proposed that Zai welcome his body as 'Oz' into the Vessalius family, replacing Zai's child as it was going to be stillborn. Zai was skeptic of what Jack had told him, but as time progressed and Rachel had gone into labor, it turned out that what Jack had predicted had come true, as Zai's child had been born in death's embrace. Furious about the situation he had been put in, Zai stole the body of his son from Rachel as she slept, storming off into the night. Zai sought out Jack, who's body had been reverted to the form of an infant at this point, and so Zai fulfilled Jack's wish, swapping out his deceased child for the young Jack. Zai had done so in part because he had seen what had happened as an opportunity to acquire information from Jack, however the main reason Zai had for switching Jack for his dead child was in order to spare Rachel the pain and suffering that she would be forced to deal with when she awoke to find that her child had died. Zai soon realized that he had made a mistake, as Jack's induction into the current Vessalius household was followed by disaster. Although Rachel and Zai had managed to produce a second child successfully, whom they named Ada Vessalius, Rachel died of unknown causes sometime afterward. The death of his wife had hit Zai hard, and although the public rumors stated that the Nightrays were responsible for Rachel's death, Zai knew to blame Jack instead, realizing that he had been played as a fool by Jack. Another death in the family had followed not long after, with Duchess Vessalius dying during child birth, alongside her's and Oscar's child. Zai blamed Jack for the deaths of Duchess Vessalius and her child as well, and so Zai commenced with a process of dehumanization of 'Oz Vessalius', treating him poorly in order to hurt both Oz the B-Rabbit and Jack himself, all in the pursuit of revenge. Zai, being the first born child between himself and Oscar, was meant to take on the role of the head of the Vessalius family. However, Zai turned down such an opportunity, allowing Oscar to become Duke Vessalius instead. Although Oscar successfully hid the Vessalius Key to the Abyss (as one of his Ducal duties), Oscar lacked the correct qualities to form a Contract with any Chain, and so Zai had to form a Legal Contract with the Black Winged Chain who acted as guardian to the Vessalius Door to the Abyss, Gryphon, thus allowing the Vessaliuses to have access to the Abyss. When Oz was about ten years old (physically), Oz had been suffering emotionally because he thought that Zai hated him. Oz's personal valet, Gilbert insisted that such a thing could not be true, and so Gilbert grabbed a bouquet of flowers and ran to Zai in order to prove Oz that he was wrong. Oz chased after Gilbert, but reached him as Gilbert presented Zai with the bouquet, saying that they had been from Oz and requesting that Zai visited Oz in his room in order to make Oz feel more secure about his relationship with Zai. Zai told Gilbert that he spoke out of turn, but Gilbert asked why it had to be that way, asking if Oz was not Zai's 'beloved precious son'. Zai smiled when he heard this, and so he clutched the bouquet and threw it to the ground, saying that a child like Oz should never have been born. Gilbert became frantic, clutching to Zai's coat and asking what he meant and attempting to explain all that Oz had done in order to meet the approval of Zai. Zai stopped Gilbert mid-sentence, smacking him to the ground and asking who Gilbert thought he was, as well as if Gilbert had the intention to disobey his master. Gilbert angrily objected and insisted that Zai was not his master, Oz was. Zai had heard enough and ordered his valets to take Gilbert away and lock him in the mansion's basement. Oz ran to Zai, begging him not to fire Gil and reaching out in order to grab Zai. However, before he could, Zai smacked Oz's hand away, telling Oz not to touch him and calling him a vile creature. At an unknown point, Zai aligned himself with the Baskervilles in Sablier alongside Duke Bernard Nightray, often visiting Sablier in order to meet with them. Together, the Baskervilles planned on watching Oz as his Coming of Age Ceremony approached with his fifteenth birthday, in order to ensure that Oz was the child mentioned in the prophecy of the Baskervilles. Plot Coming of Age Ceremony Arc When the time came for Zai's supposed son, Oz, to undergo his Coming of Age Ceremony, Zai, three other Baskervilles, Zwei and two unknown Baskervilles, prepared their plan to cast him into the Abyss. During the ceremony, the Baskervilles observed from outside to see if Oz truly was the boy mentioned in the prophecy. When Oz touched the clock that had been silent for 100 years, it's hands moved forward, thus proving that Oz was indeed the child mentioned in the prophecy. Time froze and the Baskervilles sprung into action, breaking into the mansion to confront Oz. Gilbert, under the control of Zwei, restrained Oz and stabbed him in the chest with a dagger, as a blood offering. Zai then used the power of his Chain, Gryphon, to create a seal on the floor that opened a path to the Abyss. However the Chain, B-Rabbit, used the opening as a chance to momentarily escape the Abyss. B-Rabbit appeared as a giant black rabbit to the Baskervilles, and a little girl to Oz. B-Rabbit saved Oz from Gilbert and claimed him as her "property". B-Rabbit then attacked and defeated the Baskervilles though she spared them as their objectives were similar. Gilbert regained consciousness and demanded to know why the Baskervilles wanted to cast Oz into the Abyss. A flash of lightning from the storm outside briefly revealed Zai's face to Gilbert, shocking him. Oz picked up a nearby sword and charged at Zai, telling him to stay away from Gilbert. At the last moment, Gilbert took the blow for Zai, not wanting Oz to hurt his own father. B-Rabbit appeared behind Zai and stated that she enjoyed the chaos, but he quickly turned around and slashed through her with his sword, banishing her back to the Abyss. With both Gilbert and B-Rabbit out of the way, the Baskervilles held Oz still so Zai could pass judgement on him with Gryphon. Zai then banished Oz into the Abyss for "the sin of his existence". Pandora Arc Having been released from the Abyss 10 years later, Oz joined Pandora with his illegally contracted Chain, Alice the B-Rabbit. The two of them, joined by Oz's old friend and servant Gilbert, went into Reveille to do a mission for Break. There Gilbert explained Oz's past to Alice. Zai hadn't been around much when Oz was younger, but one day he returned to the mansion, Oz asked Gil why his father hated him to which he suggested they go and ask Zai. Oz said couldn't because he was too afraid of the truth. Gilbert then decided he'd do it on his own, and her grabbed a bouquet of flowers to deliver to Zai. Oz chased after Gilbert and found Gilbert begging Zai to take the flowers and go visit Oz. Zai was unhappy that Gilbert had spoken out of turn, causing Gilbert to ask him why he continuously denied Oz when he was his 'beloved precious son'. This made Zai laugh and he took the flowers from Gilbert's hand. He then crushed them, letting them fall to the ground whilst saying that a child like Oz should never have been born. Gilbert grabbed Zai's coat and asked him why he'd say something like that. In return Zai slapped Gilbert, sending him to the ground. Zai asked who Gilbert thought he was, going against his master. It was then that Gilbert shouted that Oz was his master. Zai ordered his valets to take Gilbert away but Oz ran to his father and begged him not to fire Gil . However when Oz tried to reach out to him, Zai slapped his hand away, called him "filthy", and simply walked away. Oz was locked in his room after this encounter, and Gilbert was locked in the basement of the Vessalius mansion for three days until Oscar rescued him. Sablier Arc After Elliot, Leo, Oz and Gil had all met up in The Hole, Zai appeared to retrieve Elliot, as Bernard couldn't do it himself. Elliot declined, saying that he would never accept help from a Vessalius and that Zai should be offering to help his son. Zai simply smirked and said that he didn't care what happened to "that thing". Elliot, enraged, began yelling at him, only to be stopped by Leo, who apologized to Zai. Zai remarks on how smart a servant Elliot had before leaving. Gil ran after Zai and held him at gunpoint, because of how he'd hurt Oz. Zai expected this and recalled how Gilbert had held him at gunpoint before shortly after joining Pandora, threatening to kill Zai if he ever came anywhere near Oz again. Gilbert then went over the events that happened after Oz was cast into the Abyss. Gilbert was the only one who remembered what had happened. He told Oscar that Oz had been cast into the Abyss and that it was his own father who'd done it, but when Oscar looked into the matter, Bernard Nightray provided an alibi for Zai, saying that he was with him at the time of the Coming of Age Ceremony. Oscar accepted this but he didn't realize that Bernard was also secretly involved with the Baskervilles. Zai summoned Gryphon and confirmed again to Gilbert that it was he who cast Oz into the Abyss 10 years ago. Gil attempts to shoot Zai, and Gryphon prepares to defend it's contractor but Mad Hatter appeared between the two and stopped them from fighting. Break then appeared behind Gil and pulled him away while Zai proceeds out of the Inner Hole. Gil later admits that he wouldn't have been able to kill Zai because it would've hurt Oz too much. Zai later found Lottie and Zwei, who was unconscious and severely injured. Zai carried Zwei as he and Lottie traveled to the Baskervilles' Door to the Abyss, though Zai dropped Zwei on floor as soon as they reached the door. Zai and Lottie had arrived just in time to greet Lily as she's released from the Abyss. Lottie then explained to her how the Baskervilles' main purpose now was to search for and destroy the Sealing Stones which prevented Glen from returning. Re-Emergence of the Head Hunter Arc During a conversation with Sheryl Rainsworth, Break revealed that he'd talked to Oscar Vessalius recently, and was told how after Oz was born, Zai stole him away from his sleeping wife and ran off in the rain without saying where he was going or for what reason. When he came back, Zai said that he merely wanted to celebrate the christening of his child alone. Break told Sheryl that it was possible that Zai had switched the child with another, and that the current Oz might not have been the real Oz Vessalius. In one of Vincent's flashbacks, Ada Vessalius took him to a townhouse in Reveille and explained how Oscar had set this up for her as a secondary residence. She explained that she wasn't allowed to bring friends to the main house by order of her father. Jack's Intention Arc Zai and several Baskervilles arrive outside of the Vessalius mansion just as Oscar tries to head to Pandora. Zai questions where Oscar thought he was going, having the Baskervilles surround Oscar and Ada so that they could all have a nice long family talk. Oscar blocks Ada from Zai and glares at his brother as he stands before him. Zai has the Baskervilles take Oscar and Ada inside of the Vessalius mansion, where Zai proceeded to explain to the two of them how Oz was a Chain and not actually Zai's son. Oscar and Ada initially had difficulty grasping such a thing as a possibility, but Zai explained himself, having inducted Jack's infant body with Oz as the dominant consciousness back into the Vessalius Dukedom with the intention to both gain information and protect Rachel's heart from breaking over the loss of her child that Zai had replaced with Oz following its death. Zai takes Ada hostage against Oscar soon after this, manipulating Oscar into possibly doing harm to Oz by the end of Retrace 80. Description Appearance Zai's full face is never revealed. Oz hadn't seen Zai in so long that he'd forgotten what Zai looked like, which is why his full profile wasn't shown in earlier chapters, but when he appeared physically in Retrace XL: Blindness, it is unknown why his full profile was still not shown. Zai has blonde hair and a large diagonal scar across his face, reaching from his forehead to his cheek across the bridge of his nose. In his first appearance Zai was clean shaven, but appears to have allowed a goatee to grow out after ten years. Personality Zai is cruel and heartless as he does not care about Oz at all, to the point of stating he wishes Oz was never born. He also doesn't allow his son to touch him, because he is 'filthy' and he refers to Oz as "that thing". Zai has never been shown interacting with Ada, so it is unknown what he thinks of her. Also, when he was carrying Zwei to the Baskerville's Door to the Abyss, Zai dropped her without care. Powers and Abilities Chain [[Gryphon|'Gryphon',]] is one of the five Black Feathered Chains that Glen Baskerville used to possess, making it able to open a path to the Abyss and summon the Chains of Condemnation to drag people into the Abyss. It is unknown what secondary powers Gryphon may have. Relationships Jack Vessalius When Jack had first approached Zai, Zai was rather skeptical that Jack was exactly who he claimed to be. It wasn't until Zai's first born died after birth, just as Jack had predicted, that Zai believed that Jack was whom he claimed to be. Zai planned on using Jack in order to obtain information, as well as a means to spare Rachel too much heartache over the loss of her child, but he did so in a bitter and hateful way, taking the dead child from Rachel and storming off angrily into the night. As the years went on, nothing but tragedy followed the Vessalius family after Zai had taken Jack's body into the Vessalius family as 'Oz Vessalius'. Not only had Oscar's own child died, but his wife as well, Rachel's own death was followed sometime after Ada's death, all of this Zai blamed Jack for. Zai planned on exacting his revenge on Jack and Oz through a process of dehumanization, with Zai deteriorating Oz's sense of hopefulness through his harsh treatment in hopes that Jack would feel the repercussions. To fuel his hunger for revenge, Zai alligned himself with the Baskervilles, hell-bent on sending the being known as Oz Vessalius into the Abyss, where its existance couldn't be of harm to anyone. Zai would've much rather destroyed Jack's body and Oz along with it, but had he done so, the Intention of the Abyss would have surely intervened. Oscar Vessalius Despite the fact that Zai is Oscar's older brother, the two do not have a good relationship with one another. Despite this poor relationship, Oscar still asked Zai to form a contract with Gryphon because Oscar himself lacked the right qualities to do so successfully. Some 10 years later, Oscar glared at Zai furiously and stood infront of Ada when Zai confronted them alongside the Baskervilles when they were trying to escape Reveille following the severing of the Chains, however a part of this could have been drawn from Oscar's ignorance to Zai's reasoning for treating Oz so poorly. Zai doesn't seem to enjoy his younger brother's compay, often talking down to Oscar and calling him a lowlife, but Zai does note the importance of Oscar and Ada knowing the truth about Oz. However, because Zai has become so consumed with rage in his pursuit of revenge on Jack after blaming Jack for Rachel's, Zai's first born's, Duchess Vessalius' and Oscar's child's deaths, he is shown to not be above using his family in their time of vulnerability in order to force them to help him exact his revenge. Zai did this by keeping Ada as a hostage within the Vessalius mansion, ordering Oscar to go and kill Oz with his own hands, something which Oscar regretably complied to. Oz the B-Rabbit Oz had grown to believe that he should love his father, however unbeknownst to Oz, Zai was not his real father. Oz was a Chain existing in Jack's de-aged body, and Zai had despised Oz his entire life in part because of his sinful existance, but mostly because he had hoped to hurt Jack through his dehumanization of Oz, where Zai had often called Oz a filthy and vile creature, or would state that Oz should never have been born. After spending fifteen years successfully hurting Oz, Zai joined forces with the Baskervilles so that they could confirm that Oz was the child mentioned in the prophecy, and subsequently cast Oz into the Abyss as a result. Although Zai would've much rather have had Oz killed, he knew that something like that would have been impossible without the Intention of the Abyss intervening because of her connection to Jack, and so Zai would've had to settle for Oz being trapped in the Abyss. Ada Vessalius Ada hasn't interacted with Zai in the series as of yet because he is often away from the Vessalius Mansion. Although Zai is often absent in Ada's life, his strict rule as her father is abundantly clear, as Ada often mentions how she is not allowed to bring friends to the Vessalius mansion because of her father's rules. Vincent theorizes that this was because if Ada was going to bring a boyfriend home, the Vessaliuses would rather that she did it where they couldn't see. Later, when Zai and the Baskervilles cross-examined Oscar and Ada, telling them the truth of Oz's existance, Ada found it hard to believe her father, dropping her teacup to the floor in shock. Zai would later take Ada hostage in order to prompt Oscar to do as Zai comanded, and so Zai ordered Oscar to kill Oz with his own hands. While it does seem as though Zai cares for Ada, setting strict rules in order to protect her as any other father would, however it seems as though Zai is willing to use Ada as encouragement for Oscar in the pursuit of revenge. Lottie Bernard Nightray Elliot Nightray Quotes To Oz the B-Rabbit *''"A child like that should never have been born."'' *''"Don't touch me, you vile creature."'' To Elliot Nightray *(About Oz)'' "Whatever becomes of it... is none of my concern."'' *(About Leo)'' "You have a good valet. He... rightfully knows his place."'' To Gilbert Nightray *''"I see I was right. I had a feeling you would come after me."'' *''"Yes... you did. When was that again? You suddenly pointed a gun at me and impudently dared to say this. You went on spouting tales about how the Chain that dropped it into the Abyss was our Vessalius House's Gryphon. How about it? Would you like to make sure once more?"'' *''"Is the Chain you claim to have seen... still... smiling with the same face as this one?"'' Gallery Zai in the anime.jpg|Zai's full body render in the Anime Hooded Zai.jpg|Zai's full-body anime render in his Baskerville robes Ihatezai.jpg|Zai appears in the Hole in Sablier Zaiinhisyouth.jpg|Gilbert sees that Zai was working with the Baskervilles to cast Oz into the Abyss Chapter Appearances (*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of other characters' memories. Trivia *Zai's name means 'River'. *It is not known why Zai did not take on the role of Duke as the older sibling between himself and Oscar. *Zai's hunger in knowledge bears significant similarity to the personalities of fellow Pandora members, Rufus Barma and Bernard Nightray, as well as foreigner Isla Yura. *Zai's arrogant personality mirrors the Gryphon's lack of care for what others think in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as the Gryphon shows his disdain for both the Queen and the Mock Turtle, saying one doesn't realize no heads ever fell despite her orders, and the other's despair is ridiculous. *Zai's name is misspelled as 'Xai' by Yen Press in the English versions of Volume 10. Site Navigation Category:Vessalius Family Category:Contractors Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Shinigami Category:Human Category:Baskervilles Category:Legal Contractors